German Moore

Following on from yesterday’s post about the Henry Moore missing from Greenwich Park, apparently in the ‘care’ of the HM Foundation, Elaine sent me this pic of another Moore in pride of place on the lawn beside the Art gallery in Bielefeld in Germany. Peeping through is Madeleine, age 6. Her four year old brother Eric’s playing with her in the next pic.

As Elaine points out, “they obviously have a more relaxed attitude towards their art in Bielefeld.” Perhaps they have a more cultured class of thief. I suspect it’s more likely that scrap metal prices aren’t so high.

Of course it may just be that the Henry Moore Foundation haven’t managed to get their sweaty paws on the Bielefeld sculpture yet. Or that the good burghers of Bielefeld didn’t just roll over at the first signs there might be an issue with security.

But it is time to get the Greenwich one back. Seems like there’s a bit of a head of steam building over this – I heard the Friends of Greenwich Park on the Today Programme yesterday demanding it back. Personally, I think if we don’t get it back by 2012, we won’t get it back at all.

4 Comments to “German Moore”

Councillors in Chesterfield recently fought the Royal Mail for several years to return a Barbara Hepworth sculpture that had been made specifically for a certain location in the town and that the Royal Mail removed and wanted to sell. http://tiny.cc/DUaDCIf they can do it, surely the Royal Parks has sufficient might?

Many of these Henry Moore bronzes are displayed, and were made to be displayed, outdoors. I don't understand why 'security' is a particular issue in Greenwich Park compared to those examples of Moore's work displayed almost anywhere else. Indeed, with its high walls and Royal Parks Police, it must be more secure for a large heavy item than most sites. After all, the Henry Moore Foundation has these sculptures scattered around a Hertfordshire village garden adjoining farmland. Are these really better protected?

Many thanks for your email and the interest in the Henry Moore sculpture previously situated in South East London.

I am sorry but there are no plans for us to move the sculpture to Greenwich Park in the near future. As there are many demands for loans from the Foundation's collection we do try to place sculptures so that they can be seen by as wide an audience as possible. It was moved for the exhibition in Kew Gardens and it is currently in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park where it can be viewed by people living in that part of the country.

However, there is another cast of this work at The Foundation in Perry Green which is open to the public this year between 30 March and 30 September; we would be delighted to welcome you here during the spring and summer.

I guess the question is whether Henry Moore specifically asked for this particular piece to be placed in Greenwich Park. If not I guess we should count ourselves lucky it was there for such a long time.